The invention relates in general to an analog timepiece and, in particular, to a watch with a device for electronic data input.
Timepieces measure and show the progress of time as well as store and display data and information. While the older mechanical clocks and watches only provided information concerning the course of the terrestrial time, the necessary data input and display devices for these functions were modest. It was sufficient to have a mechanical timing mechanism and dial with which the hands and the calendar could be adjusted.
With the new electronic developments, timepieces have approached the domain of humanity and are beginning, to a greater extent, to record personal data of the user and supply information about him. Thus, it is necessary to enlarge the scope of the device for the data input. It is desirable to be able to enter letters, numbers and instructions. Many solutions to the problem of increased input capacity for watches are known, which are all confronted with the problem of the relatively small equipment and the relatively large fingers of the user. Such watches have mostly a plurality of push buttons for the choice of a mode and for the input of an instruction. For entering letters and numbers, keyboards similar to a computer are used, from which the desired characters are transmitted to the memory of the watch. There even exists a watch by which a number to be entered can be written on the glass or crystal covering the display. A desired character can even be controlled by digital means on a mini-keyboard arranged on the digital display of the watch.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device, which makes it possible to enter easily and intelligibly a plurality of letters, numbers and instructions through a single, easily grasped stem of the watch.